Actress Meryl Streep almost missed out on the chance to receive the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom after initially trying to convince White House officials she was not worthy of the top civilian honour.

Synopsis

Completely broke and without a job in the pipe line, Valerie, a model spoiled by years of success and luxury, is stranded in Berlin's Hyatt Hotel. It is Christmas Eve, her friends are busy and Valerie has nowhere to go. Incapable of dealing with her new situation she pretends to be a paying guest of the hotel. But when the manager discovers that she is using an invalid credit card, she can not show up at the front desk any longer. She sneaks into hotel rooms to take a shower and steal food until that does not work any longer. She ends up living in her car in the hotel's parking garage until the parking attendant discovers her illegal domicile and tries to put an end to her double life.